The Beat Surrender

The Eels remain one of the most underrated bands of the last ten years in my eyes, so this greatest hits collection (Meet The Eels) could be a real timely reminder to everyone about just how many good songs they have written over their ten year recording career.

As a package it’s pretty impressive, 24 tracks on the CD and a DVD that features 12 full promo videos. Probably more for existing fans is a seperate collection of 50 songs called Useless Trinkets that collects together rarities, live songs, cover versions, alternate takes and remixes.

The Essential Eels CD starts with Novocaine For The Soul and three other tracks from their debut album Beautful Freak, this is probably the bands most commercial sounding tracks, but even then it’s done on their terms and with a degree of lo-fi sensibility about them.

As the collection moves on you start to get a feeling for these tortured rock-blues, Last Stop This Town is fantastic, Souljacker Part 1 was rated at the time and rightly so, while songs like I Need Some Sleep and 3 Speed are tracks that I didn’t really pick up on myself at the time, but love listening to them here.

The Useless Trinkets collection is a little more varied in quality as you would expect from this sort of collection, a couple of the Christmas songs seem a little pointless, F*cker is one of the best songs they’ve ever done and it’s a shame to see it tucked away here. Jelly Dancers, The Bright Side and Rotten World Blues are brilliant, Can’t Help Falling In Love and I Put A Spell On You may be fun, but don’t really come close to either of the originals.

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